First Six Months of 2022 in Books...

It’s that time of the year again!

Namely, it’s June. This is usually when I am busy hyperventilating as the school year wraps up and I am faced with my attachment issues. However, it’s also when I usually share my year in books so far-sharing some recommendations and reviews with you.

Here goes then (because I do have to get back to all the hyperventilating)…

The Fall of Marigolds (Susan Meissner) 4-stars

I don’t read much historical fiction but was drawn to this title because of my interest in immigration history and Ellis Island itself. It was a well-researched, vivid novel with a good amount of heart.

The September of Shiraz (Dalia Sofer) 5-stars

I received this book as a gift in a holiday book exchange. It is the first physical book I’ve read in a while (I usually listen on Audible). Set during the early days of Iranian Revolution, this book is eloquently written. I could not put it down.

Woman No. 17 (Edna Lepucki) 4-stars

An interesting premise and some good observations of mothers and children with special needs and their relationships. I found it painful in its insight, at times, actually. Which is exactly why I would recommend it.

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes: a Story of Love, Loss, and Rock-and-Roll (Xio Axelrod) 2-stars
I was really looking forward to this one because it was so highly recommended on various book lists and blogs. Unfortunately, it disappointed rather profoundly, both in plot and character development. It’s just flat and predictable all around. I hate to leave negative reviews (and don’t, actually), but I do not recommend this one…to anyone.

Rodham (Curtis Sittenfeld) 5-stars

What a cool concept-to take a real person and run fan-fiction with it. It gives a satisfying ending for Hillary fans. Recommend.

The Lost Daughter (Elena Ferrante) 5-stars

A painful read, and I mean it in the best way. Highly recommend, particularly to mothers of daughters.

Signs of the Survival: a Memoir of the Holocaust (Renee Hartmans) 5-stars

I bought this at an elementary school Scholastic book fair. I am hardly the target audience for this but the book is a true story of real sisters (one deaf, one hearing), making it through the Holocaust without their parents. I do recommend this to middle schoolers and their parents alike. It’s not very graphic and a good introduction into personal narratives of Holocaust survivors.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (Olga Tokaczuk) 5-stars

It feels silly to critique a Nobel prize winner so I hardly know what to say. An unusual read with an unexpected ending, I’ll say this much. Quirky and poignant.

The Personal Librarian (Marie Benedict) 5-stars

This was probably my favorite pick by MR BOOK CLUB. This, too, is historical fiction but based very much on thorough research. What an incredible (and almost unbelievable) true story of Belle DaCosta Greene! I want to go back to the Morgan Library now.

I Must Betray You (Rita Sepetys) 5-stars

This is a YA novel about Romania in 1989, when it finally overthrew its communist government. Yes, this is another historical fiction. I have to admit that this much historical fiction is quite out of character for me but I must say I highly recommend this title as well. I had no idea what life in Romania was like though I, too, grew up behind the Iron Curtain. Highly recommend to anyone curious about what life was like under communism in late 1980s (probably more for YA).

All’s Well (Mona Award) 5-stars

Oooh, this one I could not put down. My favorite psychological thriller in a while, that’s for sure. Very raw and a bit reminiscent of Twin Peaks from time to time (and I love me some Twin Peaks). Spooky and character driven in the most delicious of ways. Highly recommend.

Currently, I am reading The Sentence by Lousie Eldridge. It’s another pick of MR BOOK CLUB. I’ll report on this one when I finish it.

So… what are you reading? Anything to recommend?

The first six months of 2021 in books

I’ve been fairly lucky with book recommendations this year (thus far, anyway). And Audible, G-d bless it, has been my one true reading companion, allowing me to ingest much more literature than ever before-12 titles in six months! Here are some brief reviews to help you make some reading choices this summer.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

5-stars. What a fabulous literary fiction novel. Highly recommend this one for some uncomfortable self-reflection.

Class Mom by Laurie Gelman

3-stars. A fun easy read. It won’t stay with you but it will entertain you along the way.

Just Like You by Nick Hornby

4-stars. I’m a Nick Hornby fan but this wasn’t a favorite. I didn’t connect with the characters, and I didn’t feel much by way of development either. But what the book did was bring a ton of issues to the surface that I simply never had reason to consider in the past (issues like racism in Europe, Brexit etc). I mostly recommend it for that reason.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Mansood

5-stars. Enlightening, entertaining, a ton of character development. Highly recommend, particularly if you like immigrant lit.

How to Walk Away by Kathrine Center

4- stars. Predictable by way of plot but some great character development. Well researched, too!

Send for Me by Lauren Fox

5-stars. So painful yet so beautifully written. Highly recommend, particularly if you have any relation to the plight of the Jewish people during WWII. The author used real life letters from her grandmother as inspiration, and included excerpts throughout. Just wow.

Return to Life by Jim B. Tucker

4-stars. I saw Jim B. Tucker on Netflix’ Surviving Death and was intrigued by his credentials and area of study. This is a fascinating book, backed up by data and science. If you have any interest in past lives, this would be the book to check out.

True Story by Kate Reed Petty

4-stars. Tough subject matter. Will keep you guessing. Great character development.

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

5-stars. This is one of my top-3 favorite reads this year to date. Talk about holding up a mirror to “you” (and society as a whole!) and forcing you to look! Cannot recommend this one highly enough! Both the plot and character development are out of this world!

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

5-stars. This book was my book club’s most recent selection. I truly enjoyed it. It never ceases to amaze me just how similar all immigrant experiences and stories truly are. Recommend!

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

4-stars. A little too predictable plot-wise but very entertaining. A good beach read.

One by One by Ruth Ware

4.5-stars. A highly entertaining whodunit, ala Agatha Christie. Though it is set in freezing temperatures, I’d say this is a great beach read as well.

What have you read this year so far?

Reading in 2020

Every year I vow to make this easier. Every year, I fully intend to write full out reviews for each one of the books I consume in a year. And every year I fail. This year, however, can you even blame me? Looking back on 2020, and all it has given us, I’m pleasantly surprised I was even able to read more than five books! So yeah, cut me some slack.

That said, I somehow managed to read 12 books, and below you’ll find brief reviews and recommendations. I hope you’ll share some of yours with me.

1. The Last Time I Lied (4 stars)

   I love Riley Sager! This is one of his “older” works so, in my opinion, it’s not as masterful as Lock Every Door (or the recent Home Before Dark), but it’s still gripping and suspenseful. It may very well just be the fact that I started with his latest (and best, in my opinion) and it’s hard going backwards. Recommend.

2. The Flight Attendant (4 stars)

   This book made me look for an anise candle so well did the author describe the scent of the opening scenes. An unreliable narrator/protagonist is one of my favorite things ever. Recommend.

3. Red, While & Royal Blue (3.5 stars)

   An entertaining, light read. The whole Royal thing is fun but it makes you want to roll your eyes too often given how many stereotypes are invoked on a page by page basis (same for the White House characters too). The novel also felt exceedingly long. On the other hand, I read this in the early days of the pandemic so I was grateful for any kind of distraction. Kinda recommend (so long as your expectations are calibrated accordingly).

4. The Holdout (5 stars)

   This is one of my TOP 2 PICKS this year. Many painful questions raised, all without compromising the suspense of it all. Highly recommend.

5. You Are Not Alone (5 stars)

   Greek Henricks and Sarah Pekkanen are back! I loved their first joint creation but their sophomore puppy left me a little disappointed. This one, however, brought me all the way back. Recommend.

6. Three Wishes (5 stars)

   Ah, Liane Moriarty, my love! This is an old novel of hers, but I had not read it before this year. Liane never disappoints so, if I’m ever in doubt as to what I should read next, first I make sure there’s nothing new (or old) in Liane’s bibliography. Recommend (always).

7. The Guest List (5 stars)

   What a captivating thriller. I love the setting (an isolated island in Ireland) and the way it serves as an additional character. It is uber multi POV so beware—if this isn’t your thing, you’ve been warned. I think it works beautifully in this genre. Recommend.

8. Home Before Dark (5 stars)

   Riley Sager!!! His “ghost stories” are the best ghost stories. Recommend.

9. Anxious People (5 stars)

   This title tops my TOP 2 PICKS list. This too is a multiple POV work and boy, is it clever and poignant and moving. What beautiful writing! I shall (literally shall—have the duty to!) read more by this genius author. Highly recommend.

10. My Friend Anna (4 stars)

    This is one of the two non-fiction books I read this year. I can’t believe this real-life story missed me in real life. I came across this title in an Amazon store and the title itself sounded intriguing. It is fascinating to read the account of the poor woman swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars. The psychology of it! Recommend as a study in human psyche and the tales we tell ourselves.

11. How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids (5 stars)

    This is that other non-fiction title I read this year. I needed this, specifically this year and how much stress it dumped all over all of us. This isn’t a parenting book (those, I loathe!) but rather a reminder to put your own oxygen mask on first, literally. It’s really been helping me take a step back and take stock of what I am feeling and what is making me feel and act a certain way. And who can’t benefit from that. Highly recommend.

12. The Sundown Motel (3.5 stars)

    I’ve been meaning to read this book since it came out. I’m sorry to say this but it let me down a bit, specifically the supernatural aspect of it. The suspense storyline is strong enough without the gratuitous ghosts. Kinda recommend.

    It’s disappointing that the last book I read this year was not my favorite, but I have high hopes for the novel I am reading now—Leave the World Behind. I’m about half way in and the writing is so sharp, it leaves me breathless at times. I’m not sure I’ll finish it in time for it to count as a 2020 read but at least it’ll mean that 2021 will have a 5-star book kicking off its list.

Any fun reads to report?

Happy New Year! May 2021 be kind to us all.